Paul Ryan to appear at Virginia hardware store

Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) will make a campaign stop at Northwest Hardware, a True Value dealer in Roanoke, Va., on Aug. 22 at 8:30 a.m.

Walter Vance, president of Northwest Hardware, said he got a phone call Sunday from the Mitt Romney campaign asking if they could stage an event at his Brambleton Road location on Wednesday. “We were honored and excited,” said Vance. U.S. Secret Service agents and campaign workers swept through the store on Monday. “Our biggest thing was to stay out of their way,” Vance said.

Ryan will give a speech at 9:15 a.m. Northwest Hardware is a chain of six stores in central Virginia, with a seventh under construction. Virginia is considered to be one of the most decisive states in the battle for the next president.